Categories: uncategorized
Date: 17 December 2006 14:51:50
Well, what can I say on the caroling front? Yesterday a few thousand people gathered in the city centre for a gospel-influenced celebration. It sounded awesome from where I was (at the back of the stage, in the choir) and, although people I spoke to afterwards said the PA hadn't been that good to the masses out front, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We did eight carols in the course of the service, then ended up doing an extra four songs after the official finish, one or two of them different to the ones we'd already done. The highlight for me was definitely the second rendition of Mary's Boy Child, which was the last number we did in the "encore", and had been requested by our pastor (he'd run on stage to tell the band leader that it had been requested, it wasn't until later that we discovered it was the pastor himself who'd requested it - perk of the job, I guess!). The band were incredible, and did MBC in a very funky ska style, prompting a few nutters at the front of the crowd to start a conga up and down the steps - I was so gutted to be on the stage at that point, although we were having lots of fun there just wasn't room for a conga for us! In fact there was so little room that, when the lady in front of me leaned back at one point, I nearly fell off the box we were standing on and through the curtain at the back! Anyway, everybody had a great time, our new bishop gave a quick but very powerful and relevant talk on the true meaning behind Christmas, and the Lady Mayoress was apparently enjoying it so much that she wanted to stay on the stage bopping around, even after the point where she and the Lord Mayor were meant to get off!
Although the carol service part was the main event of the day, it was supported by lots of other stuff that local churches were doing to bless the locals - offering to wrap presents, painting children's faces, giving out chocolates, and carol singing in smaller groups at different points around the city centre. And there was also a new feature introduced this year - a 'Tree of Hope', which people were asked to decorate with their prayer requests and hopes for the coming year. I must admit, I wasn't sure whether people would go for the idea - but apparently, all 200 tags set aside for writing requests on were used, and people started writing on the other sides of tags that were already up there. It was quite lovely, and I promise that at some point between now and the end of the year I'll think up my prayer requests and hopes for 2007, and share them with you all (whether you want to hear them or not :D ).
All in all, then, an amazing day, where so many people gave so much of their time and effort to show the good people of Birmingham that Jesus loves them and wants them to get to know Him better. And even if only one person came away from it with that knowledge, it was worth it.